


Bottom Drawer

by silvermadi (Orientation)



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Modern AU, Rating for mentions of sex like twice, The whole gang lives, and some swearing, background Booker/Nile (mentioned), background Joe/Nicky, no powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orientation/pseuds/silvermadi
Summary: Andy had stopped believing in finding 'the one' by the time she hit thirty, coming out of a trainwreck of a relationship that hadn't even been that serious but had left its scars either way. It hadn't helped that all her closest friends were settling down and getting married while she tried to get her feet back under her.It hadn't mattered much to Andy. She liked being independent, having her own living space, a good job with lots of career options should she choose to want to move up the ladder, the possibility of getting a dog or a cat or a parrot always at the forefront of her mind, but never made reality. She was healthy, she was safe, and most of all, surrounded by friends and family who loved her dearly. She was living her best life, and if this was it for her, she counted herself lucky.By the time she hit thirty-seven, she thought she might have found 'the one', after all.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30
Collections: The Old Guard Femslash Fortnight





	Bottom Drawer

**Author's Note:**

> So, I saw the femslash event and got excited.  
> Posted for the Tuesday prompts: Alternate Universes
> 
> This fic would not exist without Luce, who brainstormed with me and then was my most wonderful beta. Muchos Gracias, mi esposa <3

Andy had stopped believing in finding 'the one' by the time she hit thirty, coming out of a trainwreck of a relationship that hadn't even been that serious but had left its scars either way. It hadn't helped that all her closest friends were settling down and getting married while she tried to get her feet back under her - Nicky and Joe had married young, first of their clique, freshly graduated and eager to explore the world together, ages 22 and 25 respectively. She'd seen the rise and fall of Sébastien's first marriage, and now she watched as he and Nile were slowly gravitating towards one another, trying to navigate how to deal with the almost ten years in age difference between them, and the fact that Booker had three little boys with his ex-wife. Lykon, Andy's oldest friend whom she missed dearly every day, had fallen in love in the heart of Africa, trying to unearth his family's roots while volunteering in the local hospitals after finishing his nursing masters, and had decided to stay. They called at least once a month, keeping each other up to date on their lives - Andy with a glass of wine in hand, Lykon surrounded by his wife and four kids, gently rocking the newest arrival - a girl - in his arms while Andy cooed.

It hadn't mattered much to Andy. She liked being independent, having her own living space, a good job with lots of career options should she choose to want to move up the ladder, the possibility of getting a dog or a cat or a parrot always at the forefront of her mind, but never made reality. She was healthy, she was safe, and most of all, surrounded by friends and family who loved her dearly. She was living her best life, and if this was it for her, she counted herself lucky.

By the time she hit thirty-seven, she thought she might have found 'the one', after all.

She'd met Quynh at Joe and Nicky's 10th wedding anniversary. They'd thrown a party for their closest friends and relatives, celebrating both their love and Joe's artistic breakthrough - it was held in a high-end art gallery, days before the exhibition was supposed to open and the paintings were up for sale for ridiculously high numbers.

The gallery in question had turned out to be one of Quynh's - one of the most exclusive high-end art curators of the country with her own galleries spread out over several cities. She'd reached out to Joe after finding his website on which he sold his own art on the side. She'd offered to hold him a contract, for which he'd be royally compensated. In return, his art would be featured on her website, opening him up to a broader audience, and she would host him an exhibition, at a cost of the upbringing. Joe had been a shaking, crying mess, incredulous that his dream was about to become reality. It had taken Nicky and Andy combined to talk him into accepting the offer. The three of them had celebrated when that very same night the deal had been finalised - Nicky had cooked elaborately, multiple courses with various wine suggestions ("the perks of dating a chef," Joe always joked).

Quynh and Joe had hit it off immediately upon meeting in person and Joe had insisted on her being there, declaring her a close friend of their little family on the spot. Andy had doubted she'd actually show up, especially when it became clear she missed the toasting, but the woman that breezed in three hours late, apologising profusely to both Joe and Nicky because her flight had been delayed due to bad weather, had stolen the breath from her lungs before their eyes even crossed.

Her styled hair had been down that day, framing her face. Her eyes had been framed by dark make-up and impeccable eyeliner, her lips a cherry red that matched her tight-fitted turtleneck. She'd worn black leather trousers, paired off with black stilettos. Everything about her screamed high-class, with a hint of danger. Everything about her screamed that she was Andy's type.

Nicky had given her a knowing, barely there smirk when he'd introduced them. It had been a good thing Quynh had started their interaction by blatantly checking Andy out - she'd been in a suit for that night's events, short hair carefully styled by Joe to show off her cheekbones (at least this made sense now), and Quynh had tracked her from her feet to her face, because Andy hadn't known where to look or how to act. She'd apparently been pleased by what she saw, and had offered Andy a drink, a small, pleased smirk framing her lips as she led a still tongue-tied Andy by the arm to the bar.

Andy had barely seen any of her other friends that night - she saw Booker and Nile sneak out sometime after midnight while Joe and Nicky were slow dancing on the impromptu dance floor created in the middle of the gallery, Lykon having left earlier during the evening to catch his flight. She was accompanied by Quynh the entire evening, Quynh explaining each exhibition piece to her, giving her own impression on Joe's art while they got to know each other. The two of them were the last guests to leave - they got kicked out by Nicky as the pair had wanted to leave around four in the morning.

"The evening is young," Quynh had mused, as Andy had kissed her friends goodbye, wishing them a good time on their second honeymoon (Joe insisting on using his huge cheque on Malta, buying a property there for the summers). She'd stared intensely into Andy's eyes. "Why not come back to mine? I have a bottle of expensive champagne dying to be opened."

And really, how was Andy supposed to refuse? "Lead the way," she'd smirked, entwining her fingers with Quynh as Quynh had laughed delightedly, halting the taxi driving by.

As soon as she'd stepped over the threshold into Quynh's modern, expensive penthouse, complete with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a livingroom in which one wall was just top-to-bottom glass, giving a spectacular view of the Parisian night, the Eiffel Tower sparkling away in the distance, Andy hadn't wanted to leave ever again.

That the sex was spectacular was just an added bonus, really.

Andy had stayed the following day, the two of them luxuriating in a slow morning, taking their time getting to know one another a little better, followed by an extensive brunch. She'd stayed that night, too, until it was late sunday evening and the promise of work the next morning had forced her to go home.

*

Things were kept casual for a while, deliberately so. The both of them were extremely busy, and Quynh was looking into extending her brand overseas, resulting in her being more out of the country than in.

They met up whenever they could. Andy would try to take her lunch breaks outside of the office - being her own boss definitely helped, although she would leave Nile all by herself in the shop - a little thrift shop she'd set up herself, selling antiques to clothes to art. It had started out small, generating enough funds for her to pay her bills, but after an article in the local newspaper the shop had become more popular, leaving Andy in need of assistance. Nile had stepped in, in need of a job next to her studies, trying to get her PhD. Nile always waved her off, giving her a broad smile and a request to tell Quynh hello. Andy had become very comfortable with leaving her beloved shop in Nile's capable hands, and with a "I will!" she'd often return 2 hours later, broad smile taking over her face, the blush on her cheeks refusing to fade just yet.

On one rare occasion, Andy had invited Quynh for breakfast - it had still been dark out when Quynh had landed on Charles de Gaulle. Andy had volunteered to pick her up for work, so they sat down at one of the little restaurants at the airport before Andy dropped Quynh off at her gallery, barely making it on time herself to open her shop.

They mostly saw each other on the weekends, though. After having Quynh over at her own place, they'd unanimously decided they prefered to stay at Quynh's. For one, Quynh's place was near downtown, closer to their clique of friends and their favourite restaurant (an authentic Vietnamese one, serving traditional dishes that made Quynh sigh in satisfaction each time they set foot inside). Second, Andy had had the absolute privilege of luxuriating for three hours, on a Sunday morning, in the huge bathtub the master-bathroom provided - her own place had old, rickety pipes, the water more often than not cold instead of warm, and there she barely fitted in her little bathroom just by herself - navigating the space with the two of them, as they'd gotten ready for a night out, had been a downright challenge.

"Never again," Quynh had laughed, as Andy had locked the place as they'd stepped outside. "Next time, we'll just get ready at mine, yes? I have a double sink, and a shower that actually runs hot."

"Are you criticising my place?" Andy had asked, pretending to be affronted. "My bathroom functions just fine - I can get ready in it every morning."

"You're very brave," Quynh had joked, softly kissing Andy on the lips and taking her hand, dragging her along to start walking. "I admire your courage."

"You better," Andy had shot back, fitting herself tightly against Quynh's side. "I don't normally look this good."

"Lies." Quynh had pecked her on the cheek. "I've seen the way you look when you wake up, Andromache. It's my favourite thing I'll ever see."

*

It didn't take long after that for Andy to be over at Quynh's practically every weekend - the weekends Quynh was out of the country being the rare exception. Andy would close down her shop Friday afternoons, go home to grab her overnight bag, and would make it back to her own small place late Sunday evening.

The constant unpacking and repacking of said overnight back brought its own challenges, especially if you're Andromache and live off chaos.

To be honest, she managed to pack all her necessities for longer than she originally expected without forgetting something.

However, after six times she finally managed to forget something that was quite necessary to have on her person - her toothbrush. She swore as she had unpacked her bag that night, digging through her toiletries and the side-pockets from the bag. Nothing.

She'd already been eyeing the room, resigned to find back her clothes, get dressed and travel home to pick it up when Quynh softly spoke up from behind her, stretched out among the sheets and luxuriating in a post-coital glow. "What is it, Andromache?"

_Andromache_. Quynh refused to call her Andy upon learning her full name - Joe had betrayed her, the bastard, when she'd taken Quynh to her weekly 'date' at the boy's house on a Tuesday night. Nicky insisted she'd come over at least once a week and join them for dinner, partly because she was Nicky's closest friend since he'd immigrated from Italy in his childhood, and partly because he wanted the personal guarantee she ate properly at least once a week (which was slightly insulting. Andy could cook well enough to take care of herself, she just didn't like doing it). The tradition had started during college, the Tuesday night the only night in their busy schedules they could clear to see each other, and it had stuck. 

Andy had never truly liked her full name, finding it a very pretentious name by the two very pretentious professors her parents had been. Only her closest friends knew her full name and they often used it to joke with her. Nicky used it on her when he wanted to have a serious conversation, on whatever topic that may be at that moment - Nicky had special privileges like that. And now Quynh was slowly starting to gain the most special privilege of all, namely for her to use it on Andy whenever she wanted because Andy wanted her to. Andy liked the way her name rolled off of Quynh's tongue, the way she used to carefully punctuate it. _An-dro-ma-che._ It made Andy shiver, and Quynh had definitely noticed.

A shiver ran over her back as Andy slowly straightened, looking over her shoulder as Quynh grinned at her like the cat that caught the canary. 

"I forgot my toothbrush," Andy admitted.

Quynh arched a perfectly epilated eyebrow as she sat up. "So, what? You're gonna go home to go grab it? Why not take one from the cabinet in the bathroom? I have a spare - it's new."

Andy stared. "Really?"

Quynh rolled her eyes before she smiled softly. "Yes, of course. I have a few spare toothbrushes lying around - the amount of times I have forgotten to pack the damn thing. I'm sure there are a few of my toothbrushes left behind in various hotel rooms."

She waved her hand in the general direction of the bathroom as she reclined back on the mattress. "Second drawer. Go pick one, and then come back to bed, yes?"

"Thank you," Andy said, smiling. She followed Quynh's directions and picked out a toothbrush, a mint-green one opposed to Quynh's soft pink so they could be kept apart, and quickly brushed her teeth before setting the toothbrush in the holder, hurrying back into the bedroom and diving back under the covers, cuddling close to Quynh who shoved her playfully, complaining about the way her body had chilled and was now cold to the touch. Andy retaliated by snuggling closer, clinging tightly to a protesting Quynh until the both of them had dissolved into a fit of giggles.

The following week, Andy found the mint-green toothbrush resting in it's own holder, neatly standing on the counter next to the right washing basin, basically declaring the sink Andy's. When Andy got out of the bathroom, neither commented on it, but upon seeing Andy's happy, soft smile, Quynh hadn't been able to hide the obviously pleased expression on her face as she smiled back.

*

As time progressed and their relationship grew more serious, more and more of Andy's stuff slowly made their way into Quynh's home on a permanent basis. Her favourite hoodie, the one she would put on only on her free days and when she didn't need to go out, found its way to one of the chairs standing near the breakfast bar, neatly folded over the back of the chair and within easy reach. The toiletries in the bathroom were slowly expanding too - Quynh had gotten her her own bottle of shampoo so she didn't need to keep bringing the one from home. There was her toothpaste, an extra hairbrush, her favourite perfume. The right sink was slowly becoming more and more Andy's domain, organised chaos opposed to Quynh's spotless left sink, all her products neatly ordered.

There was one of Andy's many throw blankets, a favourite with a plaid pattern, draped over the back of the couch, because Andy loved snuggling under a blanket during movie nights and she was determined to get Quynh to enjoy it on the same level as she did. Her favourite novel lay on the edge of the dinner table, waiting for her to pick it back up. There was some jewellery strewn over the top of the bedside table on Andy's side, earrings and rings and bracelets for when she wanted to dress up.

There was some underwear stored away in the bottom drawer of Quynh's impressive closet, neatly folded in the recently-cleared drawer. Andy found out Quynh had been slowly accommodating her apartment to include Andy in every single way that was possible. On a Monday morning, Andy had packed several outfits to last her several days - Quynh had given herself a week off and had invited Andy to stay the entire week, even though Andy would have to go in to work. It meant having to set an alarm, and yet Andy managed to sleep in, resulting in a frantic morning, Andy hurriedly trying to throw on clothes and swearing up a storm when she failed to locate a clean bra.

Quynh padded into the bedroom, clad in one of Andy's old band t-shirts, the hem hitting her mid-thigh, legs bare, hair piled high on her head in a messy bun and a steaming cup of coffee in hand - black, a strong brew just as Andy liked. 

"Something wrong?" she asked, as she watched Andy pace through the bed- and bathroom.

"I have no bra," Andy muttered, grabbing her overnight bag, turning it upside-down and shaking it until it was empty of its contents.

"Bottom drawer," Quynh said, pointing to her closet and leaning against the doorframe.

Andy glanced up, giving her a questioning look but following her directions. "What..?" she trailed off, as she looked down at a small stack of her underwear and some socks, all neatly folded. 

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. No one had done this for her before.

"You've been leaving these behind," Quynh said, casual. "And since you're here most of the time, I thought I'd wash them and give them a more permanent place to stay, instead of thrown on the armchair like you've been doing." She smiled at Andy's affronted look.

As she hooked her bra behind her back and threw on her all-black t-shirt, Andy made her way over to Quynh, crowding close in her space, hands wrapping around Quynh's waist. "You are a lifesaver," she said in between pecs on her lips. "What would I do without you?"

"Go back to your chaotic ways, I'd imagine," Quynh mused, amused. She offered the cup of coffee. "Coffee, then go? You're late, and you still need to give Nile a key."

"Fuck, shit," Andy exclaimed, accepting the cup and downing her coffee in one go, hissing slightly as the brew threatened to burn her tongue. "Lunch later?" she asked, as she passed the cup back into Quynh's waiting hands, breezing past her to shrug on her jacket.

"I'll pick you up," Quynh promised.

Andy flashed her a happy grin, storming to the front door. "Great! Gotta run! Love you!"

She let the door fall back behind her with a bang, and as she waited for the elevator the realisation of her words settled in. Did she really say that?

The front door behind her opened. Slowly Andy turned, heart beating so hard she feared it would leap out of her chest.

Quynh walked over, hands going up to cradle Andy's head, the look on her face incredibly soft. She gently rested her forehead against Andy's while holding Andy's gaze. "I love you too," she said, before pressing her lips to Andy's in a tender kiss.

*

The hindrance of living in two places at once became painstakingly clear when Quynh had to leave for the States for two weeks for some conference, dragging Joe in tow. Andy found herself pacing through Quynh's apartment, mentally checking off boxes of stuff she'd packed - as if she was going over to stay somewhere else for a few days instead of going to her actual home. She hadn't quite realised she'd basically moved in with Quynh before.

They definitely needed to talk about this as soon as Quynh got back, but right now there wasn't any time - Quynh's taxi had pulled up to the curb 5 minutes ago and Quynh was close to losing her patience as Andy exclaimed "wait!" for the third time in the last ten minutes. She grabbed her hoodie at the last minute before letting Quynh herd her out of the front door, stepping into the elevator.

"Finally," huffed the taxi driver as the pair stepped out of the building, but he was ignored by both women who were saying their goodbyes, hugging and kissing.

"I'll call you as soon as we land," Quynh promised, opening the backdoor of the taxi so she could slide inside.

"Be safe, and take care of Joe!" Andy replied. She waved the taxi off before taking a deep breath, hiking her bag a little more securely over her shoulder and started to walk to her own place.

Once she made it past her front door, she realised she hadn't been here properly in _weeks_. She stopped by after work, mostly, to take care of her succulents, but other than that, her own apartment felt… empty, like it wasn't properly lived in anymore. The sense of home that she had so carefully crafted seemed to have disappeared, leaving a layer of dust behind. It felt small, too, like she'd outgrown it.

Quynh hadn't been gone a full hour yet, but Andy already missed her achingly.

*

"So, how are things between you and Quynh?" Nicky asked, sitting back in his chair, eyes squinted against the sun as he sipped his espresso. It was a hot day in July and Paris bustled with energy. Nicky had picked Andy up and they'd found a little terrace near the banks of the Seine to get some lunch while soaking up the sun.

Now that Quynh and Joe were in the States and they would stay there for another few days, Andy and Nicky had decided to spend some more time together, just the two of them like they'd used to. They'd had some trips to the cinema, watching and judging the Indie movies, they'd gotten hammered on a wine tasting, and Andy had spent every night at Nicky's, taking advantage of his cooking.

"I miss her," Andy admitted, putting her own cup down.

Nicky gave her a soft smile in understanding, prodding her to continue. Instead, she asked, "how are you holding up?"

Nicky let it go. "I miss him too," he said. He smiled a little self-deprecatingly. "I can't sleep without him next to me. I don't remember how. I miss his presence next to me, and every little sound wakes me up. It's like my mind knows he's not going to be home for another few days, yet my body wakes when something makes a sound, fully expecting it to be Joe coming in late."

Andy made a small noise in sympathy and Nicky shook his head. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Can you still do it? Sleeping on your own? I know you've been at Quynh's a lot for a while now."

Andy averted her gaze, turning away from Nicky so she could look at the little boats floating by. "Sleep is not the problem," she sighed. She picked up her coffee and took a sip, buying herself a little time while she mulled her words over. "The problem is, my apartment doesn't feel like home anymore."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Andy sighed. She turned back towards Nicky. "What do I do?"

Nicky looked back at her kindly. "You really love her, don't you?" He grinned widely at her, not waiting for a response. "Just talk to her. I'm sure she feels the same about the situation."

Andy nodded and finished her coffee, thinking it over. Nicky sat with her in companionable silence, finishing his own cup and nibbling on a cookie. 

When the waitress stopped by to get their new order, Andy gave Nicky a meaningful glance. Nicky glanced at his watch and smirked as he glanced up.

"We'll have a dry red, thank you," Andy said.

"Leave the bottle," Nicky added.

*

Despite the best intentions, the conversation about moving in didn't turn up. When Quynh and Joe returned from the States, there had been more pressing matters at first, namely a heartfelt reunion. Andy had picked her and Joe up from the airport in the late afternoon - Nicky couldn't make it due to his chef duties. Andy had packed her bag, stuffing it full with all her things she'd had to repack to take home during these two weeks, and thrown it in the back of the car. By the time they'd dropped Joe off at his place and Andy and Quynh had made it up to Quynh's floor, her bag had been left forgotten in the hall as the two women had made a beeline for the bedroom, trading kisses and leaving a trail of clothes behind.

Andy had unpacked her bag the next morning, and Quynh had actively shown her how she'd made space for her stuff, and that had been it. They'd snuggled on the couch underneath Andy's blanket for the rest of the day, catching up and watching cheesy rom coms the both of them secretly hated but made for easy background noise.

One day, though, Andy was closing her shop when she found Quynh waiting for her outside of the shop, watching her patiently as Andy checked the locks.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Andy asked, slightly confused. "Did I forget about something?"

Quynh laughed at her. "No, not at all! I just thought I might go with you, back to your place. I know you need to look after your plants. Thought I might help."

Andy smiled back, clasping her hand in Quynh's outstretched one, chatting about her day while they walked back to her place. 

Once inside, Andy started to water her plants while Quynh lingered, picking up a few of her succulents and inspecting them.

"So," she started, effectively drawing Andy's attention, "I've been thinking."

Curious, Andy walked over to her, picking the succulent out of her hands. "Yeah?" she asked, as she set it down again.

"Yeah, I think this particular one would look amazing on the breakfast bar."

Andy's breath hitched. Straightening up, she felt Quynh's hands snake around her waist, drawing her closer to her until they were toe to toe. Andy brought her hands up to slide over the sides of her neck, before entwining her own fingers behind her head. "You think so?" she asked, hope shining through in the tone of her voice.

"Hmm, yes, and that one," Quynh indicated the Elephant's foot in the corner of the room, "would look lovely in the bedroom, I would think." She smiled at Andy, a little mischievous. 

Andy swallowed. "I think you're right," she rasped, licking her suddenly dry lips.

Quynh followed the sweep of her tongue with her eyes before she leaned in, sucking Andy's bottom lip between her lips and scraping her teeth slightly over it before releasing it, angling Andy's head down so she could kiss her properly. Andy opened her lips on a gasp at the gentle prodding of tongue, exhaling through her nose and melting into the kiss, letting Quynh set the pace.

"Trade with me," Quynh whispered as she broke the kiss off.

"Trade?" asked Andy, confused.

Quynh gave her a playful smile. "Yes, trade. You give me all your plants, and in return..." she stepped back, creating enough room for her to dig around in her pocket. She withdrew a shiny key. Andy inhaled sharply as Quynh extended it to her, almost shyly. "In return, I'll give you a key to our apartment."

Andy gently took the key, a huge grin spreading over her face while Quynh matched her, the both of them grinning happily to each other. Andy stepped closer to Quynh again, wrapping her hands again around her while Quynh hugged her close. "I love you," Andy said, emotion caught in her voice and eyes slightly wet.

"I love you too," Quynh answered, leaning in for another kiss.

When Andy had hit thirty, she'd given up on believing in finding 'the one.' Yet, in this moment, almost a decade older, key clutched in her hand and all her senses surrounded by Quynh as she mentally, giddily, rearranged her plants to fit into Quynh's, nay, _their_ apartment, Andy believed she might have found the one after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! <3


End file.
